Wright

Apparently the only redshirting Bobby Petrino and staff discussed while recruiting Jarius Wright from Warren was the Razorback red shirt the freshman receiver wears playing the Hogs' home games.

" They told me if I'm not ready to play, " Wright said, " don't even come. "

So no mention of what-if redshirting ?

" No, sir, " Wright said. " It was playing. They told me it was up to me how much playing time I would get, but they told me if I'm not ready to play, don't come. I know I had to be ready. " He's arrived readier than even he or Petrino could have envisioned. " I think he's a little readier than I expected he would be, " Petrino said. " But a couple of assistant coaches were betting on him as being one of the leaders coming out of that group. He has certainly shown that. "

Certainly has.

First-team wide receiver. First-team punt returner. Possibly first-team kick returner.

" Coming up here, I was just expecting to play receiver, " Wright said. " But they mixed me into special teams and I'm getting a lot of playing time on special teams. "

To some coaches, trusting a freshman returning punts is like trusting a 10-year-old driving a Ferrari.

" That's really encouraging, " Wright said, " knowing they have the trust in me being back there on punt returns as a freshman. "

Rookie judgment and the speed of the game can lead to more than merely unhappy returns. When to fair catch, when to run it, when to do everything to prevent it hitting the ground and when to let it roll are split-second decisions to test an old, gray head much less frazzling a freshman.

" I always get nervous about freshmen on special teams early in the season, " Petrino said. " I don't want to put them in position where they can cost you a game on special teams. "

Yet he's dropping this rookie deep the first time Western Illinois punts in Saturday's season-opener at Frank Broyles Field at Reynolds Razorback Stadium.

" He has tremendous mental toughness, " Petrino said. " And he can really run with the football. That's what excites me as much as anything. How explosive he is after he catches the ball. "

Tim Horton, the assistant who recruited Wright first for the Houston Nutt regime and kept him committed in the interim before Petrino signed on in mid December, knew Wright would play right away at receiver.

What about punt returns ?

" He was good at it in high school, but he really didn't get kicked to a lot because they didn't want to kick it to him, " Horton said.

Now in practice, he sees more kicks than a soccer coach.

" I am real confident he can do it, " Horton said. " He's going to do a good job. "

Wright seems sure, too, in all aspects.

" I feel very confident knowing when to catch it, " Wright said, " when not to fair catch it. "

And returning kickoffs, that's a breeze compared to returning punts.

" I feel even more comfortable because there's nobody pressing down on you, " Wright said. " You've got time to catch it and see where everything is happening. Punt return it's a little different. You've got to make quick moves and have quick thoughts. "

The first thought might be this kid hasn't paid his dues to be handed so much so fast.

Well, it seems during the Razorbacks' " voluntary " summer offseason in June and July the rookie attended the School of Hard Knocks.

" I already had the speed, " Wright said when asked what makes him ready to play right away. " But me coming up here this summer and the corners working me hard, like bullying me to get me ready for the next level - that really had a big impact and really helped me out. It really worked out for the best for me. "